North Country bird walk will celebrate International Migratory Bird Day Saturday

GORHAM — The public is invited to join White Mountain National Forest biologist Lesley Rowse on Saturday in the North Country for an early-morning bird walk to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day.

The two-hour walk will begin at 7 a.m. at the parking area near Hastings Campground at the junction of Route 113 and Wild River Road in Gorham.

People of all ages are welcome, according to state wildlife officials.

Each spring, millions of migratory birds return to the United States and Canada to breed and raise their young. A variety of birds — including several species of warblers and thrush — return annually to breed in the White Mountain National Forest.

“This particular area is usually bursting with the sounds of singing birds,” Rowse said in a news release.

The theme details all aspects of a migratory bird’s life, from nesting and migration to breeding and raising young. Most importantly, it addresses the need for conservation throughout the life cycle.

International Migratory Bird Day is sponsored by Environment for the Americas. The day is intended to celebrate the migration of more than 350 species of birds that nest in North America, and winter in Latin America and the Caribbean.